Turkey Breast Fillets with Apricot Stuffing
Ingredients
½ cup salt
8 turkey breast fillets (about 2kg in total)
2 cups cold water (more if needed, to cover turkey)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onion, finely chopped
200g dried apricots, softened in a little boiling water and chopped
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
small bunch tarragon, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g streaky bacon
4 fresh bay leaves
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
Description
One Christmas I came up with this repice for my feature in the end-of-year issue of Cuisine. I know it was a real hit as many people told me they cooked it, and my local butcher sold over 400kg of turkey breast that Christmas! I think the popularity was due to the idea that cooking turkey breast is much simpler than dealing with a whole turkey. If you’re determined to cook a showpiece bird, this method and stuffing will also work well (follow the cooking times for a whole bird from the instructions on the packaging, and double the amount of stuffing). I was recently advised by American friends to ‘brine’ the turkey in a salt-water bath before cooking, and I found brining leads to a beautifully moist bird and is certainly worth the trouble.
Method
Rub the salt all over the breast fillets and place them in a dish deep enough to hold them easily. Add cold water to cover, rubbing the meat until the salt dissolves. Place the dish in the refrigerator for about an hour. (If cooking a whole turkey, double the salt and cover the whole bird with water). Remove the meat from the salt water and rinse well under cold running water for several minutes until all traces of salt have gone.
Meanwhile prepare the stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan and cook the onion until soft and golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the softened apricots, breadcrumbs and tarragon. Season well and allow to cool completely. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Place four of the fillets out on a clean bench and divide the stuffing into four. Spread this over the fillets and then put the remaining fillets on top of each to make four parcels. Roll two to three pieces of bacon around each parcel, skewering the ends together with a toothpick. Arrange in a roasting dish with the bay leaves on top.
Bake for 30minutes, basting occasionally. Reduce the heat to 180°C and cook for a further 15 minutes so the juices set. Make gravy with the pan juices by adding a little flour to the pan and scraping well. Tip in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously.
Carve the turkey parcels by slicing neatly through the meat.
Serves 8 to 10.
Categories
now to save this recipe to 'My Recipes'
Already joined up? 
